Process for rendering fuel briquettes hard and smokeless



' tract. This results in a partial vacuum, or

Patented May 16, 1933 UNITE rare MENT CORPORATION, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE IS-LQND, A CORPORATION OF RI-IOID-E ISLAND raocnss roe Ramona-Ins FUEL enrounrrns HARD Ann sivroxnLnss N 0 Drawing.

The principal object of this invention is I have discovered that in order to secure this result at low temperatures 1t is essen-. tial that oxygen or air, 1n whatever Iorm provided, should penetrate to the core of the briquette.

that treatment can be applied throughout the entire briquette.

I have found in practice that in order to k secure the most eflicient penetration of the oxygen or air, the briquettes should be subjected to a decreasing temperature which causes the gases within the pores to conan atmospheric tension, which assists or causes the inrush of any oxy gases which may be in contact with the surface of the briquette and this oxygen and.

air is required to efiect the treatment within the interior of the briquette to render it hard and smokeless throughout.

Ordinary cooling of the briquette is not sufficient, as it will not accomplish the desired result unless and until any distillable product contained in the briquette, such as moisture or light oil fractions which will not solidify as a binder by the action of the oxygen or air, have been driven off. while distillation of such products is still taking place inside the briquette, the gases escaping through the pores prevent the inrush of oxygen, air or other gases or vapors from the outside. If the inside of the briquette is cooled below the boiling point of the distillable products referred to before they are driven off, they remain imprisoned in the briquette. Therefore the briquette will remain soft inside and will not be smokeless. The more completely these products are distilled ofi, the more uniformly hard and smokeless to the core is the resulting briquette.

This I have discovered can best be accomplished by creating a partial vacuum within the interstices in the body; of the briquette so as to assist the oxygen or air in working in through the pores solated by 'a' CO instrument.

Application filed December 31, 1929; Serial 41?,824;

asfarfas :desi re dby indirect'or radiating" heat atifir st'andj thenfapply the oxygen or ai'rtreatmentwhile' thebriquettes are being subjected to ajlowering temperature. The

amount of oxygen introduced can be regue In View of the fact that' 'the admission of oxygen or air into the baking chamber when "T oFFfIca HENRY F. MAUR-EL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNQR TO MAUREL INVEST- I I also find that the presence 'of'oxygen 0r 7 the'briquettes are still hot, tendsto render 'more difficult the accurate control of tern-V peratures, the oxygen or air may be diluted with inert gases such as pr d t 5 f. bustlon. r

c It will beseen, therefore, that thepro cess' consists in first driving off, preferably byv indirect heat at about 500" F. the distillable products contained in the briquette, such as ligl1tf0il fractions or moisture', which will en, air or otherj not solidifyby the oxygen or air treatment.

The heavier fractions of the heavy joil re-. The gasesfwithin the" briquette are then contracted by lowering the temperature to below theboiling point main as a binder.

of said distillable' productsoas to create a part-ial vacuum'within the briquette Thenthe briquettes ar'ebro'ught'into contact with a very small percentage of'oxygen or air or pro'ductsfo'f combustion containing the same at about 13 00 F. and the partial-vacuum will cause the same torush in throughthe pores-of the briquettes. This treatment' results in" a "hard and smokeless briquette throughout the mass thereof.

Although I have described only a single method of treatment, I am aware of the;- fact that modifications can be made therein" by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the exact order of steps herein described, but what I do claim is 1. The process of rendering previously formed fuel briquettes hard and smokeless, which comprises driving off by indirectheat the moisture and lower boiling point oilfractions, retaining the heavier fractions to serve as a binder and then cooling the briquettes to contract the gases and vapors contained Within them and thereafter subjecting the briquettes at the same time, to the action of oxygen or air, for the purpose described.

2. The process of rendering previously formed fuel briquettes hard and smokeless,

consisting in first driving off the moisture and lighter oil fractions in the briquettes by heat, then cooling the briquettes enough to contract the gases contained within them and finally subjecting the surfaces of the briquettes while they are still hot to the action of the oxygen or air so that the partial vacua caused by the cooling will assist the penetration of the briquette' by the oxygen or air,

3. The process of rendering previously formed fuel briquettes hard and smokeless which consists in heatingthem by indirect heat to a high enough temperature to drive off the moisture and light oil fractions contained in the briquettes, then lowering the o temperature belowitheboiling point of light light oil fractions to contract the gases in the briquettes, and thereafter introducing oxygen or air, or products of combustion containing them, into the interior of the briquettes'through the pores so as to render the briquette hard and smokeless throughout their mass.

4:. The process of rendering previously formed fuel briquettes hard and smokeless which consists in heating them by indirect heat to a high enough temperature to drive 'oif the moisture and light oil' fractions contained in the briquettes that will not solidify on treatment by oxygen, then lowering the temperature gradually for the purpose of creating partial vacua within the briquettes,

thereafter subjecting the briquettes to the presence of oxygen or air, or products of combustion containing them, which will rush in through the pores impelled by the vacua so as to introduce throughout the in- 'terior of the briquettes the oxygen or air.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aifixed my signature.

HENRY F, MAUREL; I 

